Using Barcode maker for Font Control to generate, create barcode image in Font applications.

To build a newsletter or other columnar document, you have two choices: You can type the text first and then apply the column formatting to the existing text, or you can set up the columns and then type the text Your preference between these two options depends on several factors:

Using Barcode drawer for Java Control to generate, create Code 128B image in Java applications.

single paragraphs that span the width of the page

If you type the text first, you can more easily select which text will be turned into

columns For example, you can leave the headline or newsletter title out of the column formatting by selecting the text that comes after it before setting up the columns

If you set up columns before typing the text, you can see your text flow into the columns

as you type For some users, this is helpful

Columns appear as they ll print only if you re in Print Layout view If you prefer to

type and edit in Normal view, you won t be able to see column-formatted text in snaking columns as you type

CHAPTER 7: Working with Long Documents

FIGURE 7-4

When text is placed in columns, the graphics, headlines, and body of articles are more interesting to look at

Applying Columns to Existing Text

The process of converting existing text to columns is actually quite simple, and it s the same procedure except for one step that you d employ to set up columns before typing Here goes: 1 Select the text to be formatted in multiple columns Be sure to select only the text and paragraph marks at the end of paragraphs that should be in columns, and not any that should not fall into columns 2 Turn on columns using one of two methods outlined in the following steps

How to Do Everything with Microsoft Office 2003

3 Click the Columns button on the Standard toolbar and drag through the resulting palette to select the number of columns to apply The palette and a three-column configuration being selected is shown here:

4 Choose Format | Columns In the resulting dialog box (see Figure 7-5), click the box for the number of columns desired and then click OK By default, the columns will be of equal width

Setting Up Columns Before Typing

If you prefer to see your text flow into columns as you type it, you can set columns at the current cursor location, then type the text that will flow into those columns as you ve set them You can do this the same way you d set up columns for existing text, except that instead of selecting text first, you ll just click to position your cursor where the columns should begin going into effect Then use the Columns button on the Standard toolbar, or use the Format | Columns dialog box, to set up the number of columns you want, and exactly how they should look Once that s done, you can start typing and watch your text fill up the first column, flow into the second, and so on

FIGURE 7-5

Use the Columns dialog box to take a more methodical approach

CHAPTER 7: Working with Long Documents

Customizing Columns

When you use the Columns button on the Standard toolbar, you don t have much choice in how the columns are set up You can choose how many columns you ll have, but their width will be equal and dictated by the width of your page within the left and right margins If you ve set up columns using this button, you aren t stuck with their settings Similarly, if you used the Columns dialog box but simply chose the number of columns and clicked OK without making any adjustments, you don t have to live with their settings You can change the number of columns, adjust column width, and even add a vertical line between columns How Try the following techniques To change the width of columns, use the ruler With your cursor inside column-formatted text, look at the ruler and note the gray sections between the white sections These gray portions represent the space between columns, as shown in Figure 7-6 You can resize these portions by dragging their ends with your mouse When your mouse turns into a two-headed arrow on either end of the gray section, drag it and release it when you ve achieved the desired column width You might have to do this to both columns if you want to change both Using the ruler really requires adjustments be made by eye If you want to make changes more exact, use the Columns dialog box Through this dialog box you can pick a new number of columns, set the width of all the columns to a new uniform width, or make an individual column different from the others You can also add a vertical line between columns, which can be helpful on a crowded page if you think people s eyes might wander instead of following the vertical flow of the columns If you want to make adjustments to more than one column, select all the columns you want to deal with through the Columns dialog box If your entire document is set to the same column